When September Ends
by aBLONDERhErMiOnE
Summary: ONE-Shot (in 2 chaps) Zack is thinking about his life six years after School of Rock’s debut at the Battle of the Bands. Mostly his mind is on Summer. He now has the perfect plan to tell her exactly what he thinks of her. ZxS
1. Default Chapter

_**When September Ends**_

**Disclaimer**: Well odvoulsy I don't own School of Rock, nor Green Day's song 'Wake Me Up When September Ends' (and no matter how much I want to own Billie Joe Armstrong I don't own him either…yet. lolx.)

Okay, this is my first attempt to write a fanfic for School of Rock, so be nice to me (it's been so long since I wrote something other then Harry Potter stuff. It's like I'm addicted to it).

**Summary**: ONE-Shot (in 2 chaps) Zack is thinking about his life six years after School of Rock's debut at the Battle of the Bands. Mostly his mind is onSummer. He now has the perfect plan to tell her exactly what he thinks of her. ZxS

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_Wake Me Up When September Ends  
–Green Day_

_Summer has come and passed  
The innocent can never last  
Wake me up when September ends _

Like my father's come to pass  
Seven years has gone so fast  
Wake me up when September ends

Here comes the rain again  
Falling from the stars

Drenched in my pain again  
Becoming who we are

As my memory rests  
But never forgets what I lost

Wake me up when September ends

Summer has come and passed  
The innocent can never last  
Wake me up when September ends

Ring out the bells again  
Like we did when spring began

Wake me up when September ends

Here comes the rain again  
Falling from the stars

Drenched in my pain again  
Becoming who we are

As my memory rests  
But never forgets what I lost

Wake me up when September ends

Summer has come and passed  
The innocent can never last  
Wake me up when September ends

Like my father's come to pass  
Twenty years has gone so fast  
Wake me up when September ends

Wake me up when September ends  
Wake me up when September ends

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I woke up sweating. It had to have been two…no, I'm looking at my glow-in-the-dark cloak placed by my bedside, it's already four…in the morning. I sat up in the darkness of my bedroom and breathed heavily. There was nothing to do but wait for my mind to remember that it was only a dream.

Shit, that's right. It was only a dream.

I pushed my bangs out of my eyes, and ran my fingers back threw my hair. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep know. I had to wake up in two hours anyway to get ready for school. The living hell to be honest with ya. I'm sixteen know by the way. Six years ago School Of Rock was on stage performing, having people scream our names out in an onhcore. That much hasn't changed.

But I have.

That day, the first time we all went to the Battle of the Bands was the most amazing day of my life. I could still feel the energy running threw my body. The way my hands just flew down the guitar strings, and how my heart was beating so fast I thought it would come out of my chest. I want to go back and relive it so badly, just the thought of it gives me nightmares. It's all I think about, its clearly becoming nearly an obsession to anyone who doesn't know me.

No one understands what's going on in my head. They don't see that School of Rock is one of my only two escapes. We still meet near everyday in Dewey's after school thing by the way. It's the one of the only things I really look forward too.

I creaked down the stairs, hoping that Dad wouldn't hear me. I have been getting up earlier and earlier a lot lately. Can't sleep. I'm convinced that Dad thinks I'm on drugs. It's really funny to see him in my room if I'm ever home from school early. Poking around under my bed and in my closet just to make sure I'm clean. He even asked me once about it! That was great, coming up to me, with the most serous expression on his face, "Son, you can tell me anything you know."

Bull. All of it. Besides I wouldn't waste my time on drugs it would only distract me from whats really important.

That's another thing. Dad thinks that I'm not focusing on the right priorities. To him education is life. If one thing goes out of line, that's it. The world will come to an end. Save me! I tried to explain to him so many times that life isn't all books, that you have to have some sort of meaning in it. That's when he goes into a ramble about how Dewey is such a horrible role model for me. Well Dad he's sure as hell better then you!

I reached the bottom steps. No one stirred from upstairs. Stage one of getting to the kitchen: Complete.

The floor chilly since we didn't have the heat on yet. It's early autumn. The time of the year I hate the most. September means forgetting summer, and working once again. Or make it look like your working (and I do a very good at that).

You don't expect it to be like this yet, so cold. I didn't turn on a light. Dad might notice that someone was down stairs instead of dreaming about candy canes and lollypops safe and sound in their own room. He really needs to get out into the real world, I don't think he would be able to handle what I go threw everyday.

I don't mind about the not having lights thing though. The moon is out tonight so its beams are shifting a glow into the room.

So about the band, yea, they're all with me in Greenstin Prep High School. It's like the brother of Horseat Prep, not making the place any better. Same rules, same clones. I really do get scared of what might have happened if Dewey didn't come to our class that day six years back in…I think it was…5th grade. We would all be just like the rest of them in that school. Living, breathing nothings.

I make it sound bad don't I? Not all of it is. Every now and then a different rebel would come up and face the crowd, but that's hardly ever. I look so much different now. After a nice two years of braces my teeth are white and straight. I work out sometimes so I got a bit of a 6-pack going on. My hair is a lot more floppier, and is always in my eyes, and all over me. It's starting to curl slightly at the end. If I wasn't in the band then I could probably be with any girl I wanted, they all seem to look at me and Freddy when we walk down the halls. First its that sappy girly look that they give you, and then it's as thought they have to remind themselves that it's 'them'. It seems to be unattractive for them to see Freddy's spiky hair, and mine uncombed. Who would have ever dreamed of such a thing, am I right? Trust me though, even when most of the school hates us me, and Freddy both seem to have been asked out by a Friday night. Freddy will go with anyone, unlike me.

But they were also well bread, and unknowing of anything but the regular preppy teen, who likes that crappy rap shit and R and B, and were clothes from Holister and Abricamie. A common outfit for me would be a pair of dirty, tighter fitting, jeans, with a big hoody sweat shirt with the name of my favorite band plastered on the front (Sex Pistols. Best band to ever pick up an instrument). Although that's when I'm not in that school uniform. More plaid. I wish Billy would finally hand in those sketches that he likes to draw so much, of some new uniforms already. I have no fashion sense at all, but when you've been wearing the same material standards since kindergarten you really do start to wonder at some of the different verities out there.

I open the refrigerator and pull out the milk carton. Taking a sip with out bothering to get a cup, I chug down the whole thing. There was hardly any left, so there was really no meaning to be so proud of it.

Anyway... the High School isn't all bad just because of its uniforms. I could learn to live with that, soon enough. But it's the people. Aside from them all being clones, there are evil clones. You could really see the band stick out in it, but there are only about two hundred kids in the whole place, so one of them could have purple eyes and stand out. They made the band's life, and mine a living hell. They're teasing and touting of our poser look is so childish! Can't they think of anything better to do? But no, it doesn't stop with just the way we look. Suddenly there are rumors about all of us being on crack or being gay.

One of the kids in my sophomore class (from just a week ago! It must have been a way to welcome back to what seems to be a great and wonderful year) swears that they saw me and Billy having going at it one day after school in the hall closet. Are they really that retarded? Yes, I would consider myself Emo, but I'm not the guy to hook up with one of my best friends like that. Hey, I'm totally for gay rights and all, but me personally could never do that. They think just because I've never had a girlfriend I should be having sucking it with guys. Come on! I'm just waiting for the right girl.

Scratch that, I found her. I'm just waiting until I'm a hundred percent sure that she likes me back.

Summer.

My manger. One of my closest friends. What is there really to say about her? That her brown eyes remind me of chocolate? Or that she smells like the ever sent of peppermint? Did I mention how in touch with reality she is, how she just knows things about stuff, and uses them to our own benefit? How could I forget when she nearly did the unspeakable and almost sold her management of School of Rock, just so we could have enough money for some new equipment? My hero. Over the years I defiantly found my self falling for her. She's so tense and nervous about nothing's everything. I'm not one of those guys who could walk up to the girl that he's liked since he was nine, and just ask her out. I waited to long. It has to be prefect or else it would be horribly embarrassing.  
I remember right after the Battle of the Bands during that first year, how she ran back stage and gave me a kiss on the cheek. She was cute in that business outfit, looking so much older then she really was. "You did it Zack!" She said to me. I was never happier. So much good fell out at that moment.  
I looked threw the cabinets at Mom's old secret stash of cookies. Ever since she died in that car accident six months ago, Dad refuses to clean out her kitchen cabinets. So all the stale cookies I could eat are there just waiting for me. I sit down at the table, with a hand full of oreos, and unpeel the top cookie layer, showing the creamy center. 

Freddy says I should just tell her already. "Dude, I'm getting so sick of listening to you talk about Summer like that! It's nasty man. Can't you just ask her out, like any other normal person would?"

"It's not that easy." I told him.

"You're so full of yourself. Ask her, get it over with. That way if she does say no, you can move on with your life, and if she says yes you could screw her."

That's all Freddy things about, getting it with girls. Sometimes I wonder if he ever wants to have a real relationship. What am I saying? It's Freddy. My badass best friend.

It's not easy. Whenever I want to ask her, or lean in and kiss her, I just can't. I freeze up, ya know?

I know that the most perfect opportunity to do it when I found out my Mom died. It was just Summer and me, and I had begged her to skip band practice with me, since there was no way I could play that day, and to stay inside my house was no option (I'll never forgive myself for not being there with Dad that day. Do real men cry?). We were at the mall sitting on the floor of one of the stores, just sitting, talking, having a bottle of coke.

"You can trust me Zack," she said. I don't remember what lead her to say that…wait, yes I do. We were talking about how life was unfair and you can't always turn to the people you think can help you.

We were close then. Like literally really really close. We were in a cramped area to begin with since we were in the back of the store, in a closet compartment. The warmth of her body made me sweat.

"I know." I responded.

She took my hand, "No. I really mean it. I want to be there for you."

"And you always will be."

"How could I be so sure?"

I fiddled threw my pocket looking for something sharp and my old boy scout switch blade. Good enough. I saw this in a movie once and I thought it might be something that would help each other, symbolically. I pulled it out of my pocket and slid it across the palm of my hand. Instantly a small amount of blood gushed.

She understood what I was doing. Taking the boy scout knife from me she did the same.

We then grasped each other's bloody hand, making sure the cuts were together so I could get an intake of her blood.

"There." I said. "Know you're in me,"

She smiled. We sat in a nice silence for a long time after that, falling into each other's company.

I turned to the clock hanging on the wall. It was already six in the morning. Damn it! I spent two hours down here, lost in thought. I should have been working on my song or something. Too late know. I have to get showered and get ready for the lovely sun-shine day ahead of me.


	2. Her Song

Chapter 2 

"Wow. You look really tired. Did you sleep at all last night?" Freddy said to me as I walked into the schoolyard.

"Huh?"

"You look horrible and you over did the black eye-liner."

Well I couldn't fight with that.

"Where is everyone?" I asked. I saw that the school looked rather empty.

"You're early."

"Are you f-ing kidding me?"

"No,"

"Damn it!"

"Don't seem so eager." We started walking.

"You think?"

Freddy shrugged.

We walked into the school and I threw my books into my locker, were we then did something that none of us had done for a while; went into the library.

I used to love the library, and secretly still do. But between thinking about Summer, the band, and fighting with Dad, while still keeping my strait A record, I haven't be able to come by in a while.

I had a hunch that Summer was already in there reading. Surely enough, there was she, already with a pile of books surrounding her. Her beautiful brown hair pulled up in a ponytail, and she wore her reading glasses. From what I could tell she was wearing a red skirt, black boots that came up to her knees, and a black tank-top, with a home-made button saying 'I hrt rocker boys' (A birthday present from her best friend, Katie). She looked beautiful when rebelling against the school dress code.

She looked up, and I was worried to say that she looked like she didn't get any more sleep then I did.

She put on a smile, "Hey guys, whats up?"

"Absolutely nothing. What do you got for us today? My sweet thang. In the mood for a blow-job? Or how about the full package. You know it's cheaper that way." Freddy nudged me. Damn I wish he wouldn't do that. He knows that I like Summer, and even when I know he is just joking, she doesn't always.

"Not right now!" She went along with the joke, "How about me, you and Zack do a three-way as an after school special?"

"Sure why not." I was never really good at doing those perverted jokes or coming up with some really good come-back, so I changed the subject, "What'cha reading up on?"

"More marketing." Summer took her glasses off and placed them onto of a thick book.

"You are so power hungry," I said.

"Well if I want to run some day for president I would hope so. There is no such thing as an innocent leader."

I hope not.

"Okay…well I have to go. Over there," Freddy said. Soothe dude. Really. He sprinted to the back of the library. He was so going to listen in.

"So how's the new song going?" She asked.

"Horribly. I only got the first verse done, and it's really crappy."

"But you're presenting it today to the band? Aren't you?"

"Don't remind me."

"Do you have any inspiration at all?"

"Yea, but that's it. There are to many words to describe her-it."

She smirked that 'Ha! I think I know something,' grin, "Really? Well as your manger I have a right to say move your ass! The battle of the Bands is coming up soon, remember? You're the only one who could right songs even half way destine." She gave me a punch in the shoulder.

"You think?" I'm not used to get complements, and when I get one, even from her, it's like gold.

"I can't believe I have to tell you," She rolled her eyes.

"Sure,"

"So can I hear it?"

"What!"

"What you have so far?"

"No."

"Why?"

"It's a secret."

"I don't believe you."

"Fine. During lunch, if we survive that long, come to the band room. You'll hear what I have. A special preview."

She thought about it for a moment. Tacking up in her head that she didn't have a business meeting around that time, "'Kay,"

I'm dead. I lied, I nearly finished it, but I can't find a way to end it on the right note. It was always meant to be _for her_, but know that the first time I was going to play it was for her I had to work out all the parts that didn't fit.

I'm taking this as more then just one of my friends coming in and hearing what I have for the night's practice, but as a way to tell her how I really feel about her.

I turned to her one more time, studying her features, finding the right way to say things.

"What?" She said.

"Nothing," I said. Everything. "Well I better go work on it." I didn't want to leave, but I had too. If I was going to be skipping the next three classes I better get going.

I got up and left the library and (quickly, before any one else saw me) grabbed what I had of it so far, some paper and pen, while wandering the school, just to make sure that the band room was empty. I normally find the darker and inclosed areas the nicest to work (no one goes in there unless they must, which is never), no lights on, so surprise, surprise, it was deserted.

I saw the only guitar that they had there (acoustic) and strummed it.

Out of tune. But there was no time to fix it. Working with what I had, I placed myself on the hard floor and started to look over what I got.

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"Zack? Where are you?" Summer called out to me.

Shit! It was noon already?

"I'm right here."

"Must you always work in the dark?" She asked me.

"It gets it all out better." I responded as she turned on a light, blinking uncontrollably from sitting in the dark for so long.

I saw that she was no longer wearing the tank top, but the school uniform. Bet she got a detention for wearing that to school. Too bad, it was a little low cut, I liked it.

She took one of the chairs that were staked and sat down on it, "Is it ready?"

"More then it was earlier."

"Great, so play."

"Remember I'm not much of a singer."

"I know."

"And its not done yet."

"Okay."

"And don't laugh, 'cause if you do I'll-"

"God, you make it sound like I never heard one of your songs before. Just play." She really did want to hear it.

I was never so worried, "But I have the lyrics and stuff for it, but the music is a little off, and the guitar is out of tune so-"

"I get it. That's fine."

I couldn't breathe steady, "Oh, and, well. I wrote it for you."

I saw her blush slightly. I can't understand why now, why this song. I tried to make myself appear that it would be no big deal if she didn't like it, but after that second of silence there was no turning back.

Before I could stop myself I heard it's words:

"_One look into your eyes  
__I can see your soul,  
__But as time goes on your story is getting old,  
__I am your only listener  
__And I want to keep it that way_

_Bright Angel hear my prayers  
__Save me from what scares,  
__All the emotion out of me.  
__  
Bright Angel sing to me my cries  
__And I'll sleep under your words and lullabies  
__Why should I make up my mind?_

_I know what I want and it's only you_

_Drown me in your pools.  
__The secrets that I want to tell  
__It appears that your halo fell,  
__Shall I pick it up and dust it off?  
__Or can you give back to me what I once lost?_

_Bright Angel hear my prayers  
Save me from what scares,  
__All the emotion out of me._

_Bright Angel sing to me my cries  
And I'll sleep under your words and lullabies_  
_Why should I make up my mind?_

_I know what I want and it's only you._

_Our seasons will never change  
__The Summer breeze and dying leaves,  
__Blend together for you and me  
__Tender lips, two virgins' love  
__I need you more then anything_

_Oh my Bright Angel,  
__Take me away from the dark  
__With your wings,  
__Take me away so we could never be seen"_

I stopped since it was as far as I had gotten to writing it. I myself thought it was pretty good. It stated everything about how I felt for her.

Wait…are those tears? Is she crying!

"Are you okay? I should have known that you wouldn't have liked it." I asked slowly. But I could really feel my heart ripping, there was no way at all then that she could feel any way how I feel about her.

Summer whipped her eyes, smudging all of her make-up giving her the appearance that her tears were black, "No it wasn't that!" she said in a rush, then hiccuping.

"Look you could pretend that you never heard it, but I want you to know, I really do like you. For as long as I could remember. Even before you became the band's manger, before you loosened up. You were always perfect to me. You saved me so many times from myself, you make me complete."

She pushed away another tear, and didn't say anything.

"But I guess I was a fucking idiot to think that you of all people would ever think that way about me. Look, I'm going to go."

"No!" she said, just as I was about to turn around and walk away, she placed her hand on my shoulder, forcing me to stop.

"You don't have to feel sorry for me if you don't feel the same way," I couldn't help but say. For her to explain things to me would be worse then her just sticking me across the face and running away from my life.

"What gave you that idea?"

"You are crying."

She gave a soft laugh. Then taking steps in closer, she put her arms around my neck, and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. My eyes were shut and my head span. Her lips were sweet with lip gloss and her scent fumed my senses with heaven.

"Ever since School Of Rock started I wanted you to write a song for me," she said. She was choosing her words wisely, as thought she might break them.

"They were all about you. Every time I played it was only for you. Not matter what I was thinking you were there, saving me." It was my turn, I leaned in and kissed her again. But I stayed there. I have waited to long for the sensation just to leave. Carefully I opened my mouth and she followed. We stood there for the eternity, kissing away everything that ever hurt us, piling it all into the kiss.

The bells rang, we didn't move. But she broke away, I pulled her closer, not for a kiss, just to feel her there. Make her presence known to me.

"I'm not going to leave you," She said when I wouldn't let her go.

"I know. I know." I couldn't say anything else. Speechless to my words.

I sat her down where I was writing the song, with one arm, placed it around her and with the other took her hand and laced our fingers together.

That's when we feel asleep in each others arms, head against the band room wall, in the darkness of the forever empty room.

My dear Summer, wake me up when September ends.

!End!

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**A/N: YES! My first School of Rock FF. I'm excited :P  
So what do you think? Did I portray Zack right? I always seemed to think that he has a lot going around in his head, and then almost at random he'll have sudden out burst (as you can tell happened in the story).  
I'm so proud of myself though for writing the song!**

**  
Okay u know what to do (pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez). U know u wanna hit that button. Come on! YOU CAN DO IT!  
All flames will be laughed at.**

**-CcLlOoVvEeRr**


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